Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin
Dr. Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin was the original creator of the Metal Gear concept and the director of the OKB-812 Granin Design Bureau in 1964. Biography Early life and career Granin was born sometime during the mid 1890s to early 1900s. An engineering genius, Granin created the basic design for the mobile ballistic missile system SS-1C (NATO reporting name: "Scud-B"), and made countless other contributions to the Soviet weapons program. Prior to 1964, his government recognized his patriotism, hard work, and dedication by twice awarding him with the Order of Lenin and the Stalin Medal, which he wore proudly on his suit jacket. Granin also created blueprints for a bipedal walking tank, a weapon that would provide the "missing link" between infantry and artillery. Granin also had an american collegue as a supporter of the bipedal walking tank theory, though he was widely criticized for the idea. Granin was also a member of the faction that was in support for Alexei Kosygin. Harboring an intense hatred for his rival, Nikolai Stephanovich Sokolov, Granin allied himself with Colonel Volgin's anti-Khrushchev faction in the GRU, solely due to the Soviet Premier's support of Sokolov.A radio call to Major Zero, during the Virtuous Mission, explains this. In September 1964, Granin's "Metal Gear" concept was passed over by Colonel Volgin and the GRU in favor of Nikolai Sokolov's Shagohod, believing it to be a more worthwhile project; a decision that left Granin greatly embittered. He planned to send all of his research and blueprints for Metal Gear to his friend in the United States. When Granin (in the midst of "drowning his sorrows") was confronted by Naked Snake, he decided to help in Snake's mission to rescue Sokolov. He wished for Sokolov to be taken back to the United States, thereby eliminating his research rival and hopefully having the Shagohod destroyed in the process. He explained the Metal Gear concept to Snake, showing him the blueprints for a bipedal walking tank, and told him of the Philosophers' Legacy, which Volgin had illegally inherited from his father, and was using to fund the Shagohod's development. In gratitude for complimenting him on his shoes, wanting Snake to succeed in his mission, and partially because he was drunk at the time, he gave Snake a key to the underground tunnel to Groznyj Grad. Granin would not live to see if his plan would come to fruition, as Volgin suspected him of being the spy who was aiding Snake. Volgin "interrogated" him by putting him inside a large steel barrel and pounding away at it with his electrically-charged attacks, eventually killing Granin. However, Volgin was able to find a transmitter in his shoe, confirming that there was indeed a spy amongst his ranks. The transmitter was placed on Granin by Tatyana (the real spy) having given the shoes to him as a gift. Another spy, Ocelot, stole some of Granin's Metal Gear blueprints for the American branch of the Philosophers, to use as a possible future weapon. Known equipment developed * SS-1C (Scud-B) missiles * The original designs for Metal Gear Behind the scenes In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Granin mentions "his friend in the United States" to Naked Snake, who was strongly suggested to be either the father or grandfather of Hal Emmerich. Two photographs in Granin's office and a radio conversation between Snake and Sigint (following the former's meeting with Granin) supported this. Character biographies leaked prior to the release of Metal Gear Solid 3 stated that the man in question was Hal's father, though the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database contradicted this by stating that it was his grandfather.Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, Kojima Productions (2008). http://natmal.net/mgsdb/?enc&id=37&p=2 This was later clarified in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, when it was revealed that he was actually Huey Emmerich, the eventual father of Hal Emmerich. When doing Granin's scenes, Takashi Kubo (Granin's Motion actor) was told by the staff to drink a lot of whiskey in order to make his acting drunk legitimate, which resulted in a fiasco with several dialogues being skipped over mid way and the studio stinking of Booze. Also, the designs for Metal Gear were supposed to be of REX and RAY, according to the Director's Commentary, but the RAY design resembled Metal Gear D more. When Snake first encounters Granin, a variation of the "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme" can be heard in the background, entitled "Old Metal Gear" on the Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Original Soundtrack. Models of both Metal Gear REX and Metal Gear RAY can be seen on the shelf behind Granin, along with the Jehuty mech from Konami's Zone of the Enders. Gameplay *If the player fires their weapon or makes any other loud noise outside Granin's office, he will shout complaints that they are "ruining his drinking." *Granin's designs (Metal Gear REX and Metal Gear D). This can be seen by pressing the R1 button during the scene in which Granin shows them to Snake. Notes & references See also * Huey Emmerich * Nikolai Stephanovich Sokolov * Naked Snake * Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin de:Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin Granin, Aleksandr Leonovitch Category:MGS3 Characters Category:GRU